Shopping
Markets, boutiques and makers worth seeking out, city by city
Browse Shopping
From covered food halls and flea markets to independent boutiques and artisan studios, these are the shops and markets our local guides love around the world. Browse the picks below and filter by city and budget to find where to shop like a local.
Libération
Why it matters: this volunteer-run boutique is the Nice outpost of Artisans du Monde, France’s pioneering fair-trade network, selling crafts and groceries from producer cooperatives paid a fair price. The shelves mix handmade jewelry, textiles and ceramics with single-origin coffee, chocolate and spices – all traceable to partner organizations, and the volunteers will happily tell you each product’s story. Stock up on edible souvenirs here instead of the tourist strips; it’s an easy walk from the Libération market. Note the hours: Monday afternoons only, Tuesday to Saturday all day.
Manshiyat Naser (Garbage City), Mokattam
Why it matters: founded in 1984 by philanthropist Yousriya Sawiris, the Association for the Protection of the Environment (APE) works alongside the Zabbaleen recycling community of Manshiyat Naser, training local women to turn factory offcuts, glass and discarded wrappers into rugs, quilts, bags and jewellery, a stable income in one of Cairo’s poorest districts. Visiting its workshop-boutique pairs a first-hand look at the world’s most efficient informal recycling system with handmade goods bought directly from the makers. Buy a patchwork quilt or a recycled-glass pendant and your money goes straight back into the community. Tip: go with a reputable local guide, dress modestly, and always ask before photographing residents.
A one-woman artist’s studio on Car Samoil in the Old Town, holding a perfect 5.0 on Google. Reviewers describe the artist as highly inventive and every piece as one-off – this is…
★ 5
An artisan boutique showcasing Quebec designers, leather goods, wool and locally made fashion, on Rue Sous-le-Fort in the Petit-Champlain quarter, among the oldest streets in North America. Real local craft, not imported…
Old Town
A beloved Old Town shop stocked entirely by Lithuanian craftspeople – felted hats and bags, ceramics, screen-printed shirts, jewellery and wearable weavings, with a gallery of Baltic fibre art downstairs. They even run felting workshops, so you can make your own souvenir instead of buying one.
Old City
Why it matters: Azerkhalcha’s roughly 500 female artisans, aged 18 to 80 and working across 14 studios in rural Azerbaijan, hand-knot every carpet sold here, with the organization’s mission centered on preserving traditional weaving techniques while supporting the livelihoods of the women who keep the craft alive. The Old City showroom doubles as a small museum of the art form, whose UNESCO-recognized techniques are on full display. Browse the collections by region – Karabakh, Guba-Shirvan, Tabriz – even if you’re not buying, and ask staff to explain the symbolism woven into the patterns.
Old Town
Why it matters: Babale is a social enterprise that works with children and adults with Down syndrome, who help create the whimsical clothing, textiles and homewares sold in this Old Town showroom. The signature buy is the sock collection inspired by famous Georgian paintings – each pair reproduces a work by artists like David Kakabadze or Petre Otskheli, with a note about the artwork printed on the back. You’ll also find Christmas ornaments, jewellery and magnets that beat any generic souvenir stall. Hours vary, so check their Facebook page before making the trip.
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